The Avatar
by Ever Searching
Summary: Very angst. The darker version of the end of the war. And the effects on the two most important women in Aang's life. Oneshot. Katara's viewpoint, 3rd person. Slight Zutara. Implied Taang.


AN: oh, my first ATLA. it's kinda emo, so don't read if you don't like that stuff. but enjoy, cause it's good! lol.

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The Avatar

By: (v)e

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In that one moment, it felt as though the earth had stopped spinning. The world was silent, the heavens seemed to their breath in that instant. The wind ceased to blow and the animals, so musical in their ways, were silent.

That horrid moment lasted for an eternity, it seemed, for Katara. Her breath caught, her thoughts screeched to a halt and her heart seemed to end it's relentless beating for that second in time. Suddenly, the world came rushing back and the sky opened up to release the torrent of rain it had been threatening for days. The sun receded and lightening tore at the sky with fury followed by monstrous thunder.

The Avatar...was dead.

Anger in itself isn't so horrible, it's a normal emotion felt by everyone at one point or another in a mortal life. Grief is usual and conquerable. An emotion that comes with loss and sorrow. It is normal and will not cease nor hinder the completion of a fulfilling life. Fury, however...

It is an emotion truly felt by only a select few. They feel it as strong as, if not greater than, a physical wound. It is a culmination of immense anger and grief, swirling inside the human heart without outlet, unlike normal emotions. Normal emotions dissipate over time. In this aspect, fury is much like love. It doesn't just go away. It grows.

And Katara felt it as the anger mixed with the grief of loving a dead man. A dead hero.

In later years, it was known as the Great Storm. One destroyed half of the Fir Nation capital, sent by the Moon Goddess Yue for the their desecration of her temple. There are few who know the truth...what happened that night.

Alas, I digress. Our story does not circulate hearsay.

That night in the rain, Katara looked as if she had died too. Her eyes lost their shine and her hands fell from their position to bend her beloved element. An instant passed, as I have reiterated above, before the sky darkened and sun faded. In all my long years, I have never seen someone so lost in that instant.

As swiftly as it came, it was gone. With the rain came an eerie glow that appeared in Katara's eyes, that had fallen on the Avatar's killer.

I'd never seen Azula afraid till that moment, I doubt she had ever felt it. But when Katara's eyes fell on her, Azula's ashen skin turned deathly white with terror. Oh, yes, she tried to hide it, but failed miserably.

"You...bastard!" Katara was gone the next moment to appear next to Azula. Within moment, Azula was lying in a broken mass, her blood used as a weapon against her. Crushed from the inside out, there was no way she would live.

The glow in her eyes had dissipated slightly, replaced by the emptiness. As she crashed, the noise in the world seemed to return. In the background, the sounds of father and son dueling reached her.

Katara's eyes filled with tears, joining the rivulets of water trailing down her hopeless face. Her shaking hands moved with gentle slowness to the man before her, the boy she'd rescued so long ago. Her hands cupped his body to pull him to her. Her tear choked voice came out broken and cracked. "Aang...Aang. No. Not you. Please, Yue, no." But as she sobbed, he didn't respond. The only answer was the stare of sightless eyes to grieving ones.

His face, so boyish and handsome was scarred with burns and tear-streaks. One ugly burn on his cheek had begun to bubble with blisters. Katara's gentle hands stroked over the wounds, afraid to hurt him.

Realization sank in slowly that he was truly gone. With it came the soul-shattering scream of pure agony that ripped from Toph's throat to mix with the thunder that responded to her cries.

Katara watched, numb, as Toph pulled his body from her to cry over him.

A single grave was present on the hilltop of the northern air temple. The company was dressed in all black as the procession was held. There was no formal vicar or someone to conduct the ceremonies, only four friends stood in front of the gathered people. All but two with tears in their eyes. One stood apart from the company as Sokka finished his memoir to Aang. Toph stood up and walked to the front, her feet characteristically bare, her sightless eyes brimming with tears.

"Twinkle Toes...Aang...he was so important to the world. And..." Toph paused as she sniffled. "He was the best student a master could ever hope for. And..." Katara wasn't paying attention to Toph. Her eyes were trained on the lone grave and the message therein.

_'Be not afraid of destiny.'_

Katara's chest contracted as she read the words over again. A sob wrenched from her as she listened to the eulogy Toph gave. "He was destined to save the world...he did...and I loved him." She barely finished before she began crying again.

Katara watched the rest of the eulogies without feeling. She didn't even move when she felt warm arms around her. She just stared. She smelled his smokey breath and saw the dancing envelope her best friend, but didn't speak.

"It's not your fault, Kara." The silky voice said from behind her. It was beautiful, but she didn't answer.

Aang was gone. Forever. The world would always be at a loss for it.

There would be no more dimpled smiles with carefree innocence. No more random flights to unknown places. No more comforting calls of, "Yip, yip!" No more laughing. No more grey eyes. No more.

_'Will you go penguin sledding with me?'_

AN: OOOO, i love that remembering the beginning at the end thing. it's so dynamic. Please tell me what you think. BTW, this is a one shot.


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